<p>You are putting too much emphasis on what your dad says. I am in the same situation w/ my parents when it comes to academics. There is nothing wrong with being an average Joe. Don’t let that convince you how you future life will be. </p>
<p>My SAT score: 1420 (out of 2400)
Unweighted GPA: 2.6
College: Kean University (Cheapest 4yr college in New Jersey)</p>
<p>But guess what…?</p>
<p>I am 18 yrs old and am already self-employed “working” online for 35 hours a week. Most of my friends who had a 3.5+ GPA have a regular job (working like 8hrs/day) and I am making much more than them.</p>
<p>My point is, don’t let others discourage you. You stated that you became more social and make plenty of friends which you enjoy hanging out with, right? That alone should boost your confidence. You took action to achieve a goal and you succeeded. You can do it again over and over with anything you want to accomplish with your life.</p>
<p>MissSilvestris said things the best, but I think in the meantime the OP needs to be happy with herself as she is. Otherwise each job-related or social rejection will feel like the end of the world and itll be hard for her to keep motivated. OP, like everyone has been saying there’s nothing wrong with being average; you don’t need to be rich or a social or academic genius in order to enjoy the simple things in life like a few good friends, hobbies, or (when the economy and your luck improves a bit, which will happen eventually don’t worry) independence. Basically you need to be happy with yourself as a good, caring, hardworking person and not define yourself by your friends, skills, or jobs before you can really do anything to improve your life.</p>
<p>Your dad is not being a great parent by saying those things to you but it sounds to me like maybe he and your mom are just feeling stressed by your sister’s tuition costs. In this economy, they’re probably extra worried about finances, so don’t be too surprised if they’re being extra cheap lately with things like computers. Chances are they are just concerned and are having the same exact kind of fights with your sister (perhaps even more so since she’s is burdening the family a lot more in terms of money).</p>
<p>Who is to say that below average will guarantee failure?</p>
<p>I’m below average at least in intellectual capacity and I’ve done just fine for myself. I have a career that I enjoy that gives me great wealth and flexibility. I have a great intimate relationship. I have a beautiful house and nice cars. I travel frequently at my leisure. The only thing that got me this far was my determination to change myself and my life. I’m not smart but I’m not lazy. Laziness will prevent even the smartest person from achieving their goals.</p>
<p>I’m sure there is something about you that you can work with. For me it’s my looks (which is extremely shallow but that’s all I have in life). I’ve learned to make it work for me to make my life a little better. Maybe you could do the same :)</p>